SI Motorist Who Killed Maria Serrano Pled Guilty to Violating Victim’s Right of Way

The motorist who killed 50-year-old Maria Serrano in a Staten Island crosswalk pled guilty to violating her right of way. The victim’s estate is also pursuing a claim in civil court.

Serrano was crossing Richmond Road at Amboy Road with her dog on the morning of May 28, 2016, when Luigi Tucci hit her with a Toyota pickup truck while turning left onto Richmond, according to reports published after the crash.

A witness told the Staten Island Advance Tucci hit Serrano with such force that she was "catapulted into the air." She sustained head and bodily injuries and died a day later.

Serrano's dog, Oscar, went missing from the scene. He was found unharmed a few days after the crash.

Police charged Tucci, then 71, with misdemeanor failure to yield and careless driving, which is a traffic infraction. According to the Advance, Tucci pled guilty to both counts.

Tucci was sentenced to participate in a victim impact panel and complete a driving course. The misdemeanor count was subsequently reduced to a disorderly conduct violation, the Advance reported. Tucci was fined $250.

Motorists have injured five other people walking at Richmond Road and Amboy Road since 2009, according to City Hall's crash data map. Twenty-two motor vehicle occupants were hurt in crashes at Richmond and Amboy during that time frame.

Serrano's estate has filed a civil suit against Tucci and the company that owned the truck he was driving. From the Advance: